Rainbow Grocery: 50th Anniversary Block Party

We are turning 50 in August! Rainbow opened its first store front in 1975 on 16th St near Valencia. The store was a healthy, vegetarian alternative, to the typical grocery store food system. It was founded at a time when there was no natural foods industry and opened with exclusively volunteer labor. As the store became increasingly successful, it was able to bring more workers on as paid staff. In 1983, with loans from our customers, Rainbow made the move to Mission St. and 15th. With 105 workers, it was the biggest health food store in the city. Our growth influenced the store to move to the current and largest location. Rainbow moved to 1745 Folsom Street on April 25,1996, and opened its doors to the public once again. Thanks to the continued support of our community, we are still here today. Come join our block party on Sunday, August 17th 2025 at 12PM – 6PM!